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Remember my lowliness with the brethren. 439 {1To the beloved brethren Gregory, Ezekiel, Erastus, Theophanes, Aninas and the rest in Hellas}1 A time to speak, he says, and a time to be silent. Since, therefore, the word for the second of these was in the preceding days, and I may say also in the present ones, for this reason, having with difficulty just now come out of the city by the good pleasure of God, we speak to you, fathers and brethren, and we speak with apostolic voices: rejoice in the Lord always, and again I will say, rejoice, not according to the joy of this world (except that it is not joy, but utter affliction, since those who should obey are insubordinate), but rejoice according to the spirit of holiness, because you were redeemed from the slavery of the enemy, from your vain way of life, from flesh and blood, serving the living and true God; from whom comes both the former blessing during the persecution and the present exile, with you scattered here and there, until the Lord looks upon us, awarding peace to his church and restoring us to the same place. For the present, I beg you, brethren, to walk worthy of the calling to which we were called, with all security and attention, with all humility and obedience to one another, the leader holding the position of authority not for demonic pride, but as a model of virtue for those who follow, and these yielding and obeying as to me, the unworthy one, or rather to Christ, for whom is the whole of life and the daily voluntary death. O children, great is the mystery of salvation; see how you conduct yourselves, not as passionate, but as dispassionate, not as lovers of the flesh, but as lovers of God. Do not cast your eyes on the faces of women, nor even be overly familiar with one another; for familiarity is a fire that consumes the soul. Meditate on death always, so that you may be prepared for the departure with joy; hold fast to the traditions, perform the appointed rites both in psalmody and prayer and whatever else there is. Do not store up gold for yourselves to give it to your own relatives or friends at the time of your death, on the grounds that the monastery will take care of your affairs (this is not of the children of God, but of the carnally minded), but rather so that things may be done according to need and what is left over may be offered to the brotherhood, so that the sustenance of the common life may come from many persons. These things have been said by me, because it has been heard that some are already deciding from now on: "4This"5, he says, "4animal and this garment or some other thing I wish to leave to so-and-so"5. O the misery! O the foolishness! Such a one is therefore neither a child nor a brother, but a stranger, but a temple-robber, whose portion is with Gehazi the thief. Do not, then, brethren, be so deceived, nor, being overcome by such a disposition, be found guilty of eternal judgment; since, if this were so, I too would do thus and distribute to my carnal relatives whatever is in my hands. But if you cannot bear even to hear of this in me (for it is not the work of a leader, but of an enemy of God), reasonably neither can I concerning you; and for this reason I take precaution and announce the justice of God, clearing myself of the blood of him who is guilty of the sin, and not as seeking gold (do not be deceived), but the salvation of your souls. Since I will boast in the Lord: it is a great source of wealth for me to say with the chief of the apostles, silver and gold I have none, though loving you so, in foolishness I say it: so much is given to me, that I grow weary of receiving. These things I write as one who loves you and takes precaution. But the God of my father, the giver of peace, the bestower of mercy, the good shepherd, will yet shepherd us and you, lacking in none of the necessities for both spiritual and bodily life; and may he deem us worthy also of the eternal kingdom. 440 {1To Abramius the host}1 It is the genuine mark of a friend to visit the one who is loved, whether in person or by letter, so from this know that we love you, most honorable and most illustrious one. And we love you with good reason, and this for various causes; the first is on account of the kings who were once our masters, since they, as you know, of those who love and